Lois Adelman

Played Key Role In Preservation Efforts

April 06, 1989|By Kenan Heise.

Lois Adelman, 69, a lifelong resident of Lockport, played a key role in the historic preservation and conservation efforts of her community and the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

Mass for Mrs. Adelman will be said at 10 a.m. Friday in St. Dennis Catholic Church, Hamilton and 12th Streets, in Lockport.

She died Monday at home.

``Much of what she did was behind the scenes,`` said her son, Gerald, executive director of the Open Land Project. ``But she gave the unofficial encouragement, energy and efforts that were essential to a whole series of restoration and conservation projects. One of the many she got behind was restoration of the town square and of the schoolhouse that now serves as City Hall as well as for offices of the township government and the park district.``

Mrs. Adelman and her husband, Howard, purchased and restored the landmark Robert Milne House in Lockport. The original owner of the 1842 limestone home was an Illinois and Michigan Canal contractor.

Her ancestors settled in the area even earlier, with her great-great-grandfather, James Ritchey, in 1830 becoming the first settler in nearby Homer Township.

He was personally warned by Potawatomi Chief Shabonna in 1832 to flee to Ft. Dearborn to avoid capture at the hands of Chief Black Hawk in the Black Hawk War.

Survivors besides her husband and son include another son, Rev. Edward, a Carmelite priest; two daughters, Janice Cronholm and Joan Keding; three grandchildren; and two sisters.